


Nighttime Beauty

by rubylily



Category: Kase-san (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Autumn, Camping, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21774355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: Yamada and Kase go camping together.
Relationships: Kase Tomoka/Yamada Yui
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Nighttime Beauty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TeaRoses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaRoses/gifts).



Yamada stared at the plant whose name she didn't yet know, and her heart fluttered with excitement. This plant had thick leaves and the white flower on top was about to bloom. "Oh, what a cute plant you are," she said, holding up her phone. "I'll take a picture so I can look you up later…"

"I'm surprised you've never been camping before," Kase said, coming up beside Yamada. "You fit in with all the nature here."

"I never really thought about it." Yamada laughed. "You've been camping before, right?"

Kase nodded. "A few times with my parents and little brothers, but it got pretty crammed." She grinned widely. "So it'll be a lot nicer with just you!"

A blush rose to Yamada's cheeks, and she nearly dropped her phone. It was only a single night, but still, a night alone with Kase in a small tent! The two of them alone together, huddling for warmth while only nature surrounded them… "Yes, it'll definitely be great!" she exclaimed, perhaps too enthusiastically, she worried.

"And this view is great!" Kase added, turning on her heel. She and Yamada had set up the tent, borrowed from Kase's parents, on a small hill overlooking a lake, and thick trees surrounded them on all sides. It was hard to believe that this place was a well-known campsite popular among campers, but Yamada and Kase had specifically chosen a spot out of sight of other campers. Yamada shivered as she pulled her jacket tighter around herself; of course, being late fall, it had grown quite chilly, but she also liked the sight of all the autumn-colored trees around them.

Kase headed toward their supplies, fallen leaves crunching under her boots, and took out a large thermos. "Since we got the tent all set up, let's celebrate with some hot chocolate!"

After pouring the hot chocolate, Yamada and Kase settled into small folding chairs, and Yamada took a careful sip from the cup in her hands. "Ah, that's warm!"

"Sweet, too," Kase said as she took a drink from her own cup. "Perfect for this time of year, huh?"

Yamada smiled as she stared at the lake in the distance, the surface of the water reflecting various shades of orange and red. It would be winter soon, and then a new year, and spring after that, a year since she and Kase graduated high school and entered university. They would both be second-years, and Kase had once told Yamada that when she became a second-year, she would be able to move out of the dorms…

"Hey, what's up?" Kase asked, her voice snapping Yamada out of her thoughts. "Your face got red all of a sudden."

"Oh, um…" Yamada stammered, turning her face away, and her eyes fell upon the tent. "I was just thinking that your tent is really big!"

"Well, yeah, it's a family-sized tent, so I guess it is kind of oversized for just the two of us." A mischievous grin came upon Kase's lips. "Would you have preferred a smaller tent?"

Yamada's cheeks suddenly felt as if they were on fire. "A-As long as I'm with you, anything is fine…"

Kase let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, you're right. Tents are expensive, so I'm glad my parents let us borrow theirs."

"So am I," Yamada muttered, trying to smile. She could almost slap herself; she was a university student now, she should have been able to talk about her relationship with Kase instead of getting embarrassed and changing the subject, she told herself. But Kase hadn't once brought up the idea of moving in together since that day of their last school festival together.

A sigh slipped from Yamada's lips. Spring was still months away, and today was supposed to be relaxing, her and Kase alone together, away from all the stress of sports and university.

For a while, as the sounds of nature surrounded them, they spoke of small, simple things, and Yamada's heart began to calm. It had been a while since she'd been able to relax like this with Kase, after all. She still couldn't say she was completely used to living alone in a big city like Tokyo, but she was managing, thanks to Kase and Mikawa. If not for them, she had no idea what she would do.

"…and then it turns out Mikawacchi and I had gotten off at the wrong stop!" Yamada finished. "By the time we got to the right stop, it was already past midnight!"

Kase laughed. "Yeah, Tokyo is pretty confusing like that. Once, Inoue-sempai wanted to meet up with me, but I got the times mixed up and ended up someplace I didn't recognize at all, so I had to text her to come rescue me."

"Oh, Mikawacchi had to rescue me once too!" Yamada giggled, but then her stomach growled loudly, and she couldn't stop that blush from crossing her cheeks.

Kase only smiled sheepishly. "Guess we should eat now, before it gets too late."

They set up the portable stove and put together the ingredients for curry ramen. Kase had suggested something simple to cook, and they had also bought emergency snacks in case the ramen didn't turn out well. Still, simple as it was, Yamada felt her mouth watering as she watched the noodles boil. "It smells so good," she said.

"There's nothing quite like camp cooking," Kase said with a bright smile. "I kind of miss it, but after I joined the track team, we didn't have as much time for camping."

"What about training camps with your track team?" Yamada asked, tearing her eyes away from the small stove.

"They were fun too, but not quite the same."

When the curry ramen was finished, it took all of Yamada's willpower not to wolf down the entire bowl herself. They divided the noodles as evenly as possible into two bowls, being certain not to spill any of the broth, and then stirred in a little extra seasoning. Yamada took a careful bite of her share, and warmth filled her mouth. "Mm, it's delicious!" she exclaimed.

"That's a relief," Kase replied, swallowing her own bite of noodles. "It's been a while since I've done this, so I'm glad you like it."

Yamada grinned. "I love it! You really are amazing, Kase-san!"

"It's not that amazing, I don't think…" Kase muttered as she rubbed the back of her neck, but her smile was warm.

Eventually they finished their meals, and they carefully cleaned the cooking utensils and bowls as the sun set and the sky grew dark. Yamada leaned her head back to stare at the sky; although the leaves of the tall trees obscured most of her sight, she could still see more stars here than in Tokyo or even back at her parents' home. It was almost easy to imagine that she and Kase were alone in this night, even though she knew that just beyond the trees were restrooms and other campers.

Kase lit a small lantern, and its glow was gentle and comforting. "It's gotten pretty late, huh? Think we should turn in for the night?"

"And it's colder, too," Yamada replied, pulling on the hem of her jacket.

They opened the tent and spread out their sleeping bags. The inside of the tent was surprisingly spacious, but Yamada wanted to sleep as close as possible to Kase, despite their separate sleeping bags. Once everything was set and they had slipped into their sleeping bags, Kase blew out the lantern, startling Yamada.

"Huh?" she exclaimed. "You aren't keeping that lantern lit?"

Kase shook her head. "Since it's gas-powered, it's not a good idea. We still have our phones for light and the heat packs in our sleeping bags for warmth."

"Oh." Yamada had thought the gentle glow of the lantern was kind of romantic, but she chose not to say that out loud. Kase knew more about camping than she did, after all. "I guess that makes sense."

Kase chuckled softly as she took Yamada's hands into hers. "Good night, Yui," she said, brushing her lips against the back of Yamada's hand.

Yamada smiled, her cheeks reddening at the intimate sound of her given name in Kase's voice. "Good night, Tomoka-chan."

Kase closed her eyes, and Yamada rolled onto her back, staring at the top of the tent with a restless focus. Even with the dim lights of their phones nearby, the inside of the tent at night was darker than she had expected. Outside the wind howled, a lonely sound, but inside Kase slept beside her. Since moving to Tokyo, she had grown used to sleeping alone, but now…

"Hey, you still awake?"

Yamada nearly jumped out of her skin, and beside her Kase stared. She gulped; even in this darkness Kase's gaze was bright and warm. "Well, um, the wind is so loud…" Yamada stammered.

Kase laughed, that sincere laugh Yamada loved so much. "It's not only that, right? I know there's something else on your mind. Come on, it's just the two of us here, so you can tell me."

"Um…" Yamada pulled the covers of her sleeping bag to her chin. "By spring we'll both be second-year university students, right?"

"Time really flies, doesn't it?"

"And you once said you'd be able to move out of the dorms in your second year, right?"

Kase's eyes went wide. "Wait, are you saying you want to move in together?"

Yamada's blush deepened; often she wished she could be as straightforward as Kase. "Yes, I would love to! But my place is so small, and I don't know if we could afford a bigger place…"

"Yeah, Tokyo is really expensive." Yet Kase grinned brightly. "But it's a relief - I was so worried I scared you off from wanting to live with me when I got too pushy!"

"But I really do want to live with you!" Yamada exclaimed. "I want to fall asleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning, like a real couple…!"

"We are a real couple," Kase said, raising a hand to touch Yamada's cheek. "We've been a real couple ever since we started dating in high school, and we're still a couple even if we can't live together yet."

A smile tugged at Yamada's lips. "But you've been thinking about moving in together all this time too, haven't you?"

"Of course." Kase lowered her gaze as her cheeks flushed. "And if you really want to do it in spring, I don't think the place you have now is too small…"

"But it's barely big enough for me and my plants!"

"I don't mind sharing with your plants. They're cute too, but you're cuter."

Yamada began to laugh, and she couldn't stop. She tried to speak, to say anything at all, but all that she could manage was more laughter.

And Kase's smile grew wider. "We're a couple, so when we get back to the city, we can figure it all out together."

"You make it sound so simple," Yamada replied, and her cheeks hurt.

"As long as we're together, anywhere is fine." Kase took Yamada's hands into hers, and they came together for a kiss.


End file.
